High Dive
by Clara Barton
Summary: While out walking his ex's dog, Duo discovers something quite unexpected about his attractive and aloof neighbor.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: For the Accidental Sex Prompts, this request was from Luvsanime02 (my Ro), for "I didn't know you were a sub and when I called you a good boy you almost cried" sex with 2x5 (although I was VERY tempted to go for the Mx5. Maybe another fic lol).

A/N2: And THANK YOU Ro, being being such an amazing beta reader.

A/N3: Title from the song by Andrew MacMahon

Warnings: angst, language, sex

Pairings: 2x5

 _High Dive_

"Oh yes- Yes, yes. Good job. Good _boy_. That's my good boy. That's my _best_ boy. There we go, there we go."

The damn dog was _finally_ crouching down over a patch of grass, _finally_ preparing to take a dump, and Duo was ready to buy him a porterhouse as a reward.

After thirty minutes of walking around the park, wandering _aimlessly_ and sniffing every single blade of grass and turning up his nose at every single spot he had found worthy of his shit earlier that week, Hermes had finally deigned to end Duo's torture.

Still, Duo had to stand there, leaning up against a tree, leash in one hand and baggie in the other, and wait for Hermes to finish his business. And Hermes appeared to be _just_ a little constipated.

Duo was seriously regretting agreeing to walk Trowa's dog. Trowa, Duo's college ex and ever-since best friend, lived in the same apartment building. He had picked up another shift at the bar - filling in after the lunch and afternoon bartender had given his notice last week - and Duo had, stupidly, agreed to walk Hermes when _he_ got home from work.

Hermes didn't seem to particularly like Duo - which was fine. Duo didn't particularly like _him_. Trowa had gifted Duo a very expensive bottle of gin in exchange for him walking Hermes - and until _today_ , the overcast sky unleashing a constant drizzle that was no doubt wreaking havoc on Duo's hair, Duo had thought it was a fair trade.

With a sigh, Duo looked away from the dog and his intelligent, judgemental eyes that seemed to say _can you just give me a minute_ , and found himself looking directly into _another_ set of eyes.

Human eyes. With a very different expression.

Wufei Chang lived across the hall from Duo, and they had exchanged maybe ten words in the six months that Wufei had lived there.

So Duo wasn't entirely sure _why_ Wufei was staring directly at him, cheeks pink and lips parted and eyes clouded with an expression Duo had never seen on his face before.

"Hey."

Duo's voice seemed to startle Wufei. He shook himself, cheeks coloring even further, and his throat worked several times before he spoke.

"Duo."

"Wufei."

They continued to stare at each other. That was the extent of Duo's repertoire when previously interacting with Wufei.

"That's Trowa's dog."

"Yeah." Duo had a sudden flare of jealousy - did Trowa and Wufei know each other? Did Wufei deign to talk to Trowa?

Wufei scowled, but then his face cleared and he made a dismissive noise.

"Of course."

Duo arched an eyebrow at him, wondering at the change in tone. He and Wufei weren't exactly friendly, but neither had they ever been openly hostile towards each other.

And then he realized.

Right. Of course.

Wufei had a thing for Trowa. Wufei assumed that Duo and Trowa were a thing.

"It's not- We're just friends. Trowa and me. I'm just doing him a favor. He's single," Duo added, feeling like some kind of weird and deeply awkward _yenta_.

Wufei frowned and shrugged, as if he hadn't just been jealous over the assumption that Duo and Trowa were dating.

Hermes _finally_ finished his shit.

"Oh, thank fuck. Good boy, good fucking boy," Duo told the dog.

The dog gave him a look that made it clear he wasn't buying Duo's act, no matter how gentle and enthusiastic he made his voice sound when he said 'good boy.'

Wufei, on the other hand, was back to staring at Duo, cheeks flushed and biting his lower lip.

He looked sexy as hell, doing that. If they were anywhere else; hell, if Wufei was any _one_ else, Duo would have assumed Wufei was turned on - would have assumed Wufei was turned on by _him_.

But all Duo had done was call the damned dog a good boy and, apparently, _somehow_ irritate Wufei.

With a grimace of his own, Duo turned away from Wufei and used the bag to collect Hermes's accomplishment. He tossed it into the bin and led the dog away, back towards the apartment building across the street from the park.

Wufei fell into step with him, Hermes trotting just ahead of them.

"You don't like dogs," Wufei said, apropos of nothing.

"Not really. But Trowa's my friend and… Hermes isn't so bad. He's a good dog, actually."

Duo held open the door to the building for Wufei, who accepted the courtesy with a ducked head.

They were alone in the elevator, and Duo reached out to press the button for Trowa's floor at the same time that Wufei pressed the button for _their_ floor.

Wufei jerked his hand back, flushed again, and Duo was _sure_ he wasn't making this up in his head.

"Speaking of good boys," he drawled, and Wufei's eyes cut over to him anxiously, "I've got a bottle of Nolet's gin and could use a drinking partner."

"I don't drink gin."

Okay. Maybe Wufei _wasn't_ attracted to him.

The elevator doors opened on Trowa's floor.

"Right. Well." Duo gave him a wave, forcing himself to meet Wufei's gaze as the doors closed between them.

"You're a fucking idiot," he muttered to himself after the elevator rose.

He walked Hermes to Trowa's apartment, letting the dog in, hanging up the leash, making sure the dog had food and water, and then washing his hands in the kitchen.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he told the dog, who had already curled up on the couch and started to gnaw on what looked like one of Trowa's shoes.

Duo briefly debated whether or not to remove it - decided he liked his hands attached - and left the dog to it.

He locked up and walked back to the elevator and pressed the button.

While he waited on it, he wondered just how awkward his one-word conversations were going to get with Wufei _now_.

He shook his head, mystified at himself. Wufei was _hot_ , and of course he wasn't interested in Duo. Of course he hadn't been aroused hearing Duo say 'good boy', and of course he didn't want _Duo_ to call him that and-

The elevator doors opened and Wufei was standing there, still in the elevator car.

Duo frowned.

"Hey, Wufei."

"Duo." Wufei licked his lips and then shoved his hand out to catch the elevator door as it started to close.

Duo stepped into the elevator with him, brushing against Wufei as he did, and the other man looked up at him with dark, unreadable eyes.

"You called me a good boy."

Wufei sounded a bit breathless as he said the words.

There was no mistaking the look in his eyes this time.

Duo crowded Wufei against the wall of the elevator, and neither of them paid attention as the doors closed.

"Yeah, I did. Are you?"

"Wha- what?" Wufei was staring at Duo's mouth, and Duo smirked.

"Are you a _good boy_?" He dipped his head down and spoke the words against Wufei's cheek.

Wufei shuddered.

" _Yes_ ," he breathed. " _Yes_."

The elevator doors opened and Wufei squeezed his eyes shut, cheeks aflame once again.

Duo took a leisurely step to the side, smirking as Wufei drew in a deep, unsteady breath and squirmed past him.

They walked down the hall in silence, and when they arrived at their respective apartments, Duo leaned against his doorframe and watched Wufei fumble with his keys.

"You don't have to drink gin, if you want to come over."

"What?" Wufei looked at Duo over his shoulder.

Duo shrugged one shoulder and straightened up. He unlocked his door and let it swing wide.

"You said you don't drink gin. I don't mind that."

Wufei looked from Duo's face to the open doorway and back.

Duo remained silent, waiting for Wufei to make up his mind.

The other man smoothed his fingers over his keys and then slipped them into his pocket. He crossed the hall and walked into Duo's apartment.

With a smirk, Duo followed him, closing and locking the door behind them.

Most of Duo's partners were more into vanilla sex, and it had been awhile since he had been with anyone who leaned towards any kind of kink.

And Wufei… looked a little nervous.

Then again, there was nothing wrong with that, as long as Duo didn't _scare_ him.

"What do you drink?" Duo asked him.

"I- I'm fine."

Wufei was still holding his briefcase, and he looked out of place in Duo's sparse yet brightly-decorated apartment. Black clothes, black hair, black briefcase - a slim, dark shadow that stood out against the bright reds, blues and yellows of Duo's furniture and the art on the walls.

Duo walked forward and reached down, wrapping his fingers around the handle of the briefcase.

"Let me," he said.

Wufei's fingers loosened, and Duo eased the case out of his grip and deposited it by the door.

"Mind if I have a drink?" Duo asked him.

Wufei shrugged, a single lift of his tense shoulders that had Duo wanting to smooth his hand over them.

So he did, running his fingers over the black suit jacket Wufei wore, feeling the other man tense and then minutely relax under his touch.

Duo stepped away and walked into his kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water, and saw that Wufei was watching him.

He took a sip from the glass and considered the other man.

"It's been awhile since I've… had anyone to play with."

Wufei swallowed hard.

"It's been awhile for me too," he confessed.

Duo nodded and finished off his water. He set the glass in the sink and then turned back to Wufei, still standing uncertainly in the living room.

"What are you looking for? In a Dom? What do you want?"

Wufei was blushing _again,_ and Duo had to smirk. The pink stains on the man's golden skin were both adorable and sexy as hell.

He gestured to the couch behind Wufei.

"Sit with me?"

Duo sat down on one corner of the couch, stretching his arm across the back and crossing his legs, leaving plenty of room for Wufei to sit wherever he wanted.

Wufei knelt down on the floor at Duo's feet.

He felt his mouth grow dry at the sight, at Wufei's bowed head and the shift of his loose hair over his neck.

"You _are_ a good boy," Duo managed to say. He reached out and ran his fingers through Wufei's hair, a gentle caress to demonstrate just how much he appreciated Wufei's position.

"I'm not looking for a romantic relationship," Wufei said, his voice slightly muffled.

Duo almost told him to look up, but he imagined it was easier for Wufei to do this part without looking at him.

"Okay." Duo had only _ever_ delved into D/s play with romantic partners, but… there was a first time for everything, he supposed.

"I'm not _good_ at relationships," Wufei continued, sounding a little bitter, and Duo wondered who the hell had told him that. "I work too much, and I don't- That's not what I'm looking for."

"That's fine," Duo assured him, and he stroked Wufei's hair again.

"What do you want _today_?" Duo decided to back things up - to set up just this one scene, instead of thinking in the terms _he_ was used to. If Wufei didn't want to think about relationships, then talking in generalizations wasn't going to get them anywhere.

Wufei tilted his head slightly, nuzzling against Duo's palm.

"I…" Wufei hesitated.

They didn't know each other, _at all_ , and if this went badly, well… If this went badly, they would both regret it. Duo could definitely understand Wufei's hesitation, and he had a bit of trepidation himself.

There was some D/s play that he simply wasn't into, and if Wufei wanted something like that…

"If we don't want the same things, then it's not a big deal," he told Wufei, trying to soothe both of them. "Tell me what you want."

"I enjoy physical humiliation," Wufei breathed.

Duo could have guessed that, but he hadn't wanted to assume _anything_.

"Good." Duo continued to pet Wufei. "That's good."

Wufei adjusted his knees slightly, spreading them further apart.

"And… sexual domination. I… I want that."

"Greedy, aren't you?" Duo teased, tugging on a strand of Wufei's hair hard enough to make the other man hiss.

Their eyes met, and Wufei's were filled with heat and anticipation.

Duo smirked.

"What are your safewords?"

"Red for stop." Wufei licked his lips. "Yellow for slow down."

Classic, simple. Easy to remember. Duo appreciated that.

"Limits? Hard nos?"

"No blood. No scars."

"Good." Duo sat back on the couch, dropping his hand away from Wufei. "Strip."

Wufei immediately moved to obey, and Duo felt a thrill at that, at Wufei's eagerness, at the sight of his fingers tugging impatiently on buttons, belt and zipper.

He knelt down again, once he was naked, and Duo let himself appreciate the view for a moment.

Wufei was gorgeous. All lean muscle and golden skin, his upper chest flushed with arousal and embarrassment, his cock half-hard already.

"Very good," Duo praised him again.

He let Wufei remain kneeling as he considered his options. Physical humiliation could take a lot of different forms, but Duo didn't want to take anything too far.

After a moment, Duo rose from the couch.

Wufei's eyes followed him, even though he managed to keep his head bowed.

"Wait here," Duo instructed before walking out of the living room.

"Yes- Yes, sir," Wufei added the title a little hesitantly, and Duo made a mental note to encourage him regarding that.

He grabbed the lube from his bedroom and then returned to the living room. He set the lube down on the end table just to the left of the couch, directly within Wufei's line of sight.

"Condoms." Wufei looked up at him with narrowed eyes.

Duo held up a hand.

"I'm not going to fuck you. I'd use a condom, I promise."

Wufei relaxed a little at the reassurance, and Duo was relieved that the other man was willing to trust him.

"Go pick out a book."

"What?"

Duo crossed his arms and arched one eyebrow.

"You heard me. Go pick out a book. And remember to address me as _Sir_ if you want me to keep treating you like a good boy."

Wufei swallowed hard and rose to his feet.

He crossed the room and stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that covered one entire wall of the room.

Duo had a problem - an obsession, really - when it came to books. He had an iPad, and he read digital books just as voraciously as he read physical texts, but there was something about being able to _hold_ a book, to feel the weight, to turn the pages, that a tablet simply couldn't match.

Also unmatched, in Duo's mind, was the view of Wufei's back and ass as he perused the shelves. He took his time, and Duo was amused, watching him, seeing Wufei trace over the spines of some of the books, catching the faint curve of a smile on his lips as he looked at more and more titles.

Eventually, though, Wufei selected a book and walked back towards Duo.

He made to kneel again, but Duo stopped him.

"Over here," he gestured to the back of the couch. "Hands here." He demonstrated, spreading his hands wide and gripping the back of the couch.

Wufei nodded, and Duo stood aside so that he could take Duo's place.

He accepted the book from Wufei's hands, letting their fingers brush as he took it.

Duo looked at the spine of the black hardback book and had to laugh.

 _Sex and Punishment_. Berkowitz's book wasn't small, and it had a decent heft to it.

Duo wondered if Wufei had guessed at his intentions, or simply felt the need to make a bratty selection.

Wufei was holding onto the back of the couch, but he was standing upright, as Duo had done.

"I'm going to adjust you," Duo told him, warning Wufei before he touched him.

Wufei was tense again, as Duo smoothed his hands down the length of his spine, applying pressure by his shoulders so that Wufei bowed down again, until he was bent over the back of the couch and his ass was perfectly presented to Duo.

"Good," he said again. "Good boy, Wufei. Good boy."

He didn't need to see Wufei's face to know he was blushing again.

"Now, you wanted physical humiliation? I think you _need_ a decent spanking."

Wufei's fingers tightened against the upholstery.

"Yes," he agreed.

Duo ran his hand lower, over the curve of Wufei's ass, briefly massaging the skin before he raised his hand.

Wufei's entire body went rigid as he waited in anticipation.

The blow knocked Wufei forward, and his grip on the couch was so tight his knuckles were turning white.

"Well?" Duo asked him, fitting his palm over the red mark he had just left.

"Yes," Wufei said again. "Yes, sir. Please."

"Please? Oh, you _are_ a good boy."

He delivered another blow to the same place, gave Wufei a moment to draw in a breath, and then he switched to the other cheek.

He alternated back and forth, pink and red blooming under his fingers, until Wufei was whimpering in pleasure.

Duo had counted out ten blows, had delivered each with enough force that his own hand stung, and he took a moment to trace over his work.

"Very good," he said. "Your ass looks perfect, Wufei. Your ass was made to be tortured, wasn't it?"

Another whimper.

"Wufei?"

"Yes, yes, sir. It was."

Duo smirked at the rushed words.

He ran his hand over Wufei's hip and around his thigh, and tangled his fingers in the short, coarse curls that decorated Wufei's groin. He was fully erect now, head weeping precum, and when Duo smoothed the bead over the heated flesh, Wufei sighed.

Duo gave the shaft a few gentle strokes, curling his fingers around it loosely, but when Wufei started to rock into his embrace, Duo dropped his hand.

Wufei made an irritated sound, but he didn't verbally complain, and Duo, smirking again, picked up the book Wufei had selected earlier.

He rested it against Wufei's right cheek.

"Shall we continue?" he asked, doing his level best to sound as disinterested as he could in whether or not Wufei wanted more.

 _He_ wanted more.

Wufei released a shaky, ragged breath, and Duo saw him readjust his grip on the couch.

"Yes, sir," Wufei finally said. "Please."

"So well-mannered," Duo complimented him. "I like that. I'll have to reward you, I think. What would you like - five more? Ten?"

Duo tapped the book lightly against Wufei's skin.

"Ten," Wufei answered immediately and enthusiastically.

Duo chuckled.

"Ten. Mm. Well, let's see if I can give my greedy little pet what he wants, hm?"

He didn't use as much force, allowing the weight of the book to do the work for him, and the resounding _thwack_ of the book connecting with Wufei's ass shocked the other man more than hurt him, Duo was sure.

He switched to the other cheek, putting just a bit more force behind it, and Wufei grunted with the impact.

"Too much?"

"No, no, sir. It's perfect."

Duo's tongue felt thick in his own mouth. It had been _months_ since he had done something like this, and he didn't think he had _ever_ had a partner who was so enthusiastically this submissive. It was heady stuff, hearing Wufei's appreciation, the words delivered without a hint of sarcasm or unease.

Wufei might have hesitated at the beginning, might have been afraid of Duo rejecting him, but once he _committed_ to the scene, Wufei seemed to be very much all-in.

As he returned to Wufei's right cheek, he checked his swing again, decided to alternate the strength of the blows, and Wufei seemed caught between anticipation and relief with each one. By the end, as Duo drew back to deliver the final hit, Wufei was trembling slightly, and Duo paused.

He ran his hand over Wufei's spine, soothing and commanding.

"You've done very well, Wufei. Should I stop now?"

Duo was pretty sure Wufei was going to be limping for a few days, after this. The face of the book was larger than Duo's hand, and while he had done a good job aiming for the meatiest part of Wufei's ass, it _was_ going to hurt tomorrow even more than it likely already did.

"No, finish. Sir." Wufei tacked the title on clumsily, and it was a clue for Duo just how much the beating had affected him.

Wufei wasn't in any deep sort of headspace, that was clear, but the physical sensations, combined with the strain of anticipation and his own embarrassment, clearly had him worked up.

Which meant he still needed to be pushed over the edge and brought down.

Duo delivered the final impact with bruising force, and Wufei whimpered, the sound catching in his throat as he tried to bite it back.

"Good, Wufei. You did so well." Duo set the book down on the end table and ran his hands over Wufei's ass, now a uniformly dark pink, patches of red highlighting areas that had taken the worst abuse.

"You're a fucking work of art," Duo breathed, watching the way Wufei trembled under his hands. "And you did so well. You're such a good boy, such a good pet."

He reached for Wufei's cock again, a little surprised that he was _still_ hard after all of that, and very pleased.

Duo urged Wufei to stand erect again, tucking up against the other man, fitting Wufei's naked body to his own.

"What do you want now, Wufei? Want me to take care of this for you?" He gave a teasing stroke to Wufei's cock, looking down to see the dark, angry color of the neglected flesh.

Wufei drew in a shaky breath, but he didn't answer.

"Or would you prefer to take care of _this_ for me?" Duo rocked his hips against Wufei's ass, letting the other man feel the erection trapped inside Duo's trousers.

"Yes, sir. _Please_."

Duo chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"On your knees, then, pet."

Wufei adopted the position gracefully, sinking down and staring up at Duo with dark, wanton eyes.

Duo unfastened his belt and the fly of his trousers. He shoved his boxers and the trousers down his hips only far enough to free his cock, and he sighed in relief as the restricting fabric moved away.

Wufei licked his lips as his eyes roamed down to the thick, flushed shaft and the broad, slick head.

"See something you want?" Duo asked him.

"Yes, sir."

"Mm. Go on, then, give it a kiss. Show me how much you want my cock."

Wufei sat up straighter and pressed his lips to head of Duo's cock, flicking his tongue out to swipe at the bead of precum and the narrow slit on the crown.

The teasing caress wasn't nearly enough, but it was a hell of a lot better than what it had felt like to ignore his erection for the last twenty minutes while Wufei writhed under him.

Duo reached down and tugged on Wufei's lower lip, guiding his mouth open, and Wufei looked up at him, holding eye contact, as Duo slowly filled his mouth.

He could feel the curl of Wufei's tongue, the scrape of his teeth, and he watched Wufei's cheeks bulge as he slid deeper and deeper into the hot, wet sheath of his mouth, until he was nudging the back of Wufei's throat.

Wufei adjusted his head, tilting back just a bit, and Duo groaned as he sank even deeper.

"Fuck, oh _fuck_ , Wufei. That feels incredible."

And it did. It felt so good, and Duo gave a gentle, experimental roll of his hips.

Wufei almost gagged, but Duo eased back, letting him relax and swallow, before he pushed forward again.

"Good boy," Duo murmured. He reached out and stroked Wufei's hair away from his face, and then wrapped his fist in a handful of the fine strands.

He set a slow, steady pace, shallowly thrusting into Wufei's mouth, careful not to go too deep, yet never pulling out enough to let Wufei fully relax or catch his breath.

Wufei was breathing through his nose while at the same time taking short, panting breaths as Duo moved in and out, his throat working to swallow air and cock at the same time.

The sensation was intense, and Duo let himself fully enjoy it, let himself hold Wufei's dark, pleading gaze and use the other man's mouth for his own pleasure.

He looked down and noticed that Wufei was still hard, saw that his fingers were digging into his thighs.

"Touch yourself," he growled. "I want to see you come for me."

Wufei didn't need any other encouragement.

Duo saw his knees spread farther, saw Wufei take himself in one hand, grip firm and sure. His strokes were short, quick, erratic and urgent.

Wufei moaned from his self-pleasure, and it vibrated along Duo's cock.

"Yes," he crooned. "Fuck, yes, pet. Come for me. Come for me, and I'll fill your mouth. Do you want that? Do you want me to come in your mouth?"

Wufei's eyes were huge, and he nodded awkwardly, eagerly, bobbing his head forward to meet Duo's thrusts.

Duo chuckled.

His climax was building, slowly and steadily, the sight of Wufei struggling to swallow him, combined with Wufei frantically working over his own cock, was getting him closer and closer. Each moan, each flutter of Wufei's eyes, each desperate gasp for breath, drove him onward.

Duo lost his pace, rhythm completely abandoned, when Wufei keened, the sound just barely audible, throaty and primal. He looked down and saw that Wufei was coming, thick ropes of cum landing on Wufei's chest, thighs, and the leg of Duo's trousers.

He groaned at the sight and pushed forward, thrusting deeper, pulling back and repeating the motion, pistoning his hips forward and backwards, until Wufei had to reach up and hold on to Duo's legs to steady himself, until Wufei's face was red and wet, until Duo could taste the pounding of his own heartbeat, could hear the roaring pulse of his lust, could _feel_ the throbbing weight of climax bearing down on him.

Duo came with a cry and a savage thrust of his hips, burying himself in Wufei's mouth as he came and came and came, until it felt like he was _empty_ , until there was nothing left to give, until Duo felt numb and loose with pleasure, with completion.

He let go of Wufei and staggered back, holding onto the couch to steady himself as he tried to remember how to breathe.

Wufei, still on the floor, gasped in relief.

He was still looking up at Duo, dark eyes still intense, but there was something more there now, more than eagerness and arousal, more than _need_.

Duo reached down and stroked Wufei's hair again, eased Wufei forward so that his cheek was pressed against Duo's thigh.

"Good boy," he repeated again. "Good boy, Wufei."

He wasn't sure how long they remained like that, Wufei on the floor, Duo stroking his hair, but eventually Duo's back protested at the angle.

He stepped away as he straightened up and set his clothes to rights. Wufei regarded him cautiously.

"Sit with me," Duo repeated the earlier invitation.

This time, when he sat down on the couch, Wufei joined him. Duo positioned the other man against his side, smirking a little when Wufei pressed his cheek to Duo's chest, just over his heart.

Duo stroked his hair, massaging Wufei's scalp as he carded through the long, fine strands.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked the other man. "Something to drink?"

"What is your obsession with getting me to drink?" Wufei grumbled, voice low, and Duo could hear the hint of laughter in it.

"I'm just trying to take care of you," Duo said. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to Wufei's forehead, realizing too late that it probably wasn't something the other man would be comfortable with.

Sure enough, Wufei tensed in his arms.

"Habit. Sorry," Duo sighed.

"It's fine," Wufei said. But it clearly wasn't.

"No romance. No relationships. I won't do it again."

Duo moved from Wufei's hair to his back, stroking the smooth flesh until Wufei had relaxed again.

"I've got some aloe, if you want me to-"

"No, I've got some in my apartment," Wufei interrupted him.

Duo fought back his irritation at Wufei's distance. He was frustrated with himself, frustrated with whoever the hell had told Wufei he wasn't good at relationships and had managed to spook him off of simple _affection_ in the process.

"Sure," Duo agreed. "Thank you, for this. I enjoyed it." It felt like the wrong thing to say, the words clumsy on Duo's tongue.

"Thank you," Wufei repeated. "So did I."

He shifted away, and Duo let him go.

Wufei pulled his clothes back on, keeping his gaze averted from Duo's as he did so, and by the time he was fully dressed, he had completely retreated into himself.

Duo stood up when Wufei shrugged back into his suit jacket.

He walked Wufei to the door, and reached down to pick up the other man's suitcase.

As he passed it over, he kept his grip on it, forcing Wufei to touch his hand.

"I'd like to see you again, Wufei."

The other man huffed.

"You see me almost every day."

"That's not what I meant."

Wufei glared up at him.

"If you aren't interested, tell me, and I'll respect that. We'll go back to just saying hi and pretending we aren't checking each other out every time we ride the elevator together."

Wufei swallowed hard.

"But if you want _me_ , if you want _this_ , all you have to do is ask, Wufei. Because I want you."

The other man looked away, his cheeks once again pink.

"I- I need to go."

Duo released the briefcase and opened the door for him.

Wufei walked across the hall and reached into his pocket for his keys.

Duo watched him open the door, watched him hesitate, and then Wufei looked over his shoulder.

Their eyes caught, and Duo smirked.

-o-

That's the end. No, seriously. I'm not starting another damn WIP. This is it.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: For the Accidental Sex Prompts, this request was from Luvsanime02 (my Ro), for "I didn't know you were a sub and when I called you a good boy you almost cried" sex with 2x5 (although I was VERY tempted to go for the Mx5. Maybe another fic lol).

A/N2: And THANK YOU Ro, being being such an amazing beta reader.

A/N3: Title from the song by Andrew MacMahon

A/N4: Guess what. I couldn't leave it alone.

A/N5: I did very brief research on burial practices and forensic morgue technicians. My apologies if there are gross errors.

A/N6: First day of Kinktober is also the last day of the Birthday Week so, an overlap!

Warnings: angst, language, sex

Pairings: 2x5

 _High Dive_

Chapter Two

Duo stepped into the elevator with a sigh.

He was tired, he was frustrated, and he wanted nothing more than to go up to his apartment, polish off the gin he had been savoring for the last two weeks, and do _nothing_.

"Hold the elevator!"

With another sigh, Duo reached out and put his hand over the door so that it wouldn't close.

A moment later, Wufei, a little breathless and cheeks flushed from the cold, stopped in front of the open door.

"Duo."

"Wufei."

The other man squeezed past him, and Duo let go of the door.

He had already pressed the button for their floor, so he simply propped himself against the back wall.

Wufei did the same, and despite the fact that the elevator was empty, he stood close enough to Duo that their shoulders brushed.

Duo forced himself not to read anything into it.

In the two weeks since… since the _Incident,_ as Duo thought about it both fondly and regretfully, Wufei had avoided the hell out of him.

Before, they usually saw each other in the mornings, but _since_ , Wufei had clearly changed his schedule and left later or earlier than Duo did.

Duo had finally stopped walking Trowa's dog three days ago, after the bar found a replacement for the afternoon shift and Trowa went back to his late-night shifts instead of doubles, but even before then, Wufei had been scarce. Duo had seen him _twice_ while out walking Hermes - and both times, Wufei's cheeks had flared bright red and he had turned and walked the other way.

"Are you okay?"

The question startled Duo, and he looked over to see Wufei regarding him with concern and a slight frown.

"I…" Duo's mind stumbled over what to say. The expression on Wufei's face was endearing, the furrow between his brows begging Duo to smooth it away.

"I'm fine," he managed to say after looking away. "You?" He forced levity into his voice.

He could see Wufei's scowl out of the corner of his eye, could feel his body grow tense.

Wufei didn't respond to the question.

It felt like a lifetime before the elevator finally opened on their floor.

They both hesitated, but then Duo made a gesture that Wufei should proceed him.

He watched the other man's rigid shoulders and stiff back as he walked out of the elevator and down the hall.

Duo wanted to roll his eyes at the way Wufei was sulking. But then, _he_ had been the flippant one.

He turned away from Wufei to open his door, thinking again of that gin, which would probably have the aftertaste of self-recrimination now.

"Duo."

Turning, he saw that Wufei was blushing, faint pink dancing over his cheeks, and he swallowed hard to keep himself from saying something he would regret. Or doing something he would regret. It was absurd just how beautiful Wufei looked when he was flushed.

"Wufei," he let himself say.

The other man rolled his eyes and then gave an exasperated sigh. He squared his shoulders, lifted his chin, and met Duo's gaze.

"Do you want to come over for a drink?"

"I thought you didn't drink," Duo said.

"I don't drink _gin_."

"You wouldn't drink water, either."

"I wasn't thirsty. I- Do you want to come over for a drink or not?"

Duo couldn't tell if Wufei was irritated with Duo for drawing out his response, or irritated with himself for asking in the first place. It was probably a combination of both. It was completely adorable.

Still, Duo hesitated.

Whatever they had done last time could probably be written off as just a one-time thing between neighbors that hadn't been quite a mistake, not quite the start of something more. Doing it _again_ was definitely going to push it into one of those two categories. And Wufei had already said he didn't do relationships.

"Just a drink?" Duo tried to clarify.

"No, sir."

Hearing that last word sent a jolt of lust straight to Duo's groin. The heat in Wufei's eyes was even more arousing.

Duo hesitated, thinking about the reasons why this was a _bad idea_ , thinking about the day he had had - hell, the _week_ he had had. He and Wufei wanted different things, and while they did have a very satisfying overlap of interests, Duo wasn't sure he could ultimately give Wufei what he wanted.

Wufei licked his lips self-consciously, and Duo's decision was made.

Duo had made mistakes before. No reason not to make them again.

He relocked his door.

"I'd still like a drink," he said.

"I have wine."

Not Duo's first choice, but he was fairly certain Wufei would make that up to him.

"Out here in the hall?" he asked with a slight, teasing smirk.

Wufei flushed again, and turned away to finish opening the door to his apartment.

Duo followed him inside, waiting while Wufei sat down his briefcase and locked the door behind them.

Wufei toed off his shoes, and Duo followed his example, positioning his against the wall beside Wufei's.

"Red or white?" Wufei asked.

"Red."

"I have a decent Malbec, a Syrah, and I think I have an unopened bottle of Pinot Noir somewhere."

"Why don't you choose for me," Duo suggested, and Wufei brightened at the suggestion, lips curving into a small smile.

"Yes, sir," he said, and there was that word again.

Duo watched him walk into the kitchen, and then turned his attention on the rest of the apartment.

The layout was almost the exact same as Duo's, reversed, and it looked like he had a slightly bigger living room. Then again, that might be an illusion.

Wufei's apartment looked like some minimalist had raided IKEA - all clean, dark lines and square shapes. The couch was nearly black, and looked - and felt - like leather, as did the two matching arm chairs across from it. The coffee table between them was a dark, gleaming rectangle of wood and glass. Waist-high bookshelves decorated the perimeter of the room, grounding the space, and yet somehow making it appear larger and brighter. There were a few photographs on the walls, all black and white, all of nature - mountains, rivers, space.

The apartment was simultaneously cold and welcoming, all strong lines and-

Dominating, Duo realized. This apartment was what Wufei wanted, what he needed. He came home every day and sat on the firm leather couch, surrounded by darkness and strength. Alone.

There was nothing _warm_ , nothing welcoming about this apartment. Just cold strength and isolation.

Duo sighed, thinking again that he was _not_ what Wufei wanted.

The other man walked out to the living room carrying two curved tumblers and a bottle of wine.

Wufei set them down on the coffee table and knelt down beside it.

Duo swallowed against his immediate urge to tell Wufei just how fucking tempting he looked - kneeling there, waiting to _serve_.

Then again, screw it. Wufei had invited him in, and Duo wasn't the kind of Dom who treated his sub with indifference. Relationship or not.

But then Wufei spoke before Duo could.

"Please join me?" he asked, dark eyes asking for much more than Duo to share a glass of wine.

Duo moved around to the front of the couch, letting his fingers skim over Wufei's hair and cheek as he passed by. Wufei arched his head up into the touch, fitting his cheek to Duo's palm.

Duo stopped and looked down at him, momentarily lost in Wufei's dark eyes, in the _need_ he saw there.

The man was certainly a conundrum - he wanted pain, wanted to be dominated, and the idea of a _relationship_ clearly terrified him. And yet, it was this kind of touch - soft, not even sensual, but definitely intimate - that seemed to completely expose him.

Duo let his hand fall away as he sat down on the couch.

Wufei poured both of them glasses of wine and handed one to Duo.

Duo wasn't much of a wine drinker, but whatever Wufei had selected - Syrah - felt dark, slightly bitter, and very decadent on his tongue.

They sat there in silence, slowly sipping the wine, and Duo _almost_ felt relaxed.

He hadn't anticipated that half a glass of wine and sitting in a stranger's apartment in total silence - hadn't thought anything but getting completely shit-faced - would help him forget about the day he had barely survived.

By the time he finished the glass, he felt very nearly _human_ again.

Wufei eyed the empty glass.

"Do you want more?"

Duo shook his head and set the glass down on the coffee table, sliding one of the thin, wooden coasters stacked neatly in the middle of the table over to rest the glass on.

"Not yet."

He watched Wufei finish his own glass, admiring the dark stain on the man's lips, and he wondered what the wine would taste like on Wufei's tongue.

Still, he hesitated.

Wufei had invited him over, had made it very clear what _kind_ of interaction he wanted by calling Duo _sir_ right away.

He waited until Wufei had set down his own glass, until Wufei's dark eyes were once again fully focused on him.

"Tell me what you want, Wufei."

He had found, over the years, that having a sub tell Duo what they wanted was one of the best ways to ensure they were on the same page. It was also hot as hell, having someone tell Duo what they wanted done to them - what they wanted _him_ to do to them.

Wufei licked his lips, the same gesture that had undone Duo just moments ago.

"I want to know what's bothering you."

It was not at _all_ the request Duo was expecting.

Wufei's gaze caught his and held it, lips and jaw firm - very _demanding_ for someone sitting on their knees.

Duo sighed.

"It's not- It's work. It's nothing."

"It's clearly not _nothing_ ," Wufei responded.

"It's- not- It's nothing to do with _this_ ," Duo gestured between them. "And it's not- Look, Wufei, you lost your shit when I kissed your forehead. You really think me telling you how my day went is any different than that?"

Wufei's eyes narrowed, but then he stood up.

 _Well_. _Fucked that up really fast. Good going, Maxwell_.

Just as he was congratulating himself on being an idiot, Wufei sat down on the couch beside him.

Duo looked over at him with an arched eyebrow.

"Tell me about your day," he said, tone the same as it had been when he was kneeling at Duo's feet, but his posture far different.

It was an interesting transformation - Wufei wasn't quite _commanding_ , but he was insistent.

Duo sighed.

"It's paperwork, Wufei. Just fucking paperwork. I work at the morgue, as a forensic morgue tech."

Wufei's face remained neutral. In Duo's experience, that meant he had no idea what any of that meant.

"I help with autopsies, take care of the bodies-"

"Take care of the paperwork," Wufei filled in. He didn't look disgusted or revolted.

Duo had dated a guy, once, who had taken one whiff of Duo after a full day in the lab, the lingering odors of death and disinfectants clinging to him no matter how many times he scrubbed down after work, and ended things. Considering that _Duo_ didn't like to smell himself after a long shift, he couldn't really blame him.

Still, Wufei didn't seem all that perturbed to learn about Duo's line of work.

Then again, today had _not_ been a full day of cutting open bodies, weighing organs, disposing of them, stitching cold, waxy skin back together. It had been a day that Duo had primarily spent in the office, on the phone, digging his fingers into his own thigh so he didn't start shouting.

"Yeah," Duo agreed. "Death certificates, autopsy records, that sort of thing."

Wufei nodded and sat, silent and patient, waiting for Duo to continue.

"There was a kid. We have a policy - if a body is unclaimed after thirty days, the District pays for it to be cremated and buried."

Duo sighed and wished like hell he had just tried to kiss Wufei earlier, wished like hell they were both naked now and he had Wufei moaning and whimpering, begging for his touch, wished like hell he didn't have to think about this _again_.

"I knew the kid - when he was alive. I'd seen him at the bodega near Georgia Ave? Little shit tried to steal my wallet once."

"How did he die?" Wufei asked, voice low. "If you can say."

Duo shrugged one shoulder.

"He was a street kid - so he was already malnourished, already on his way out, you know?" Duo added with a bitter twist of his lips, thinking about the frail body, the jutting ribs. "He was hit by a car. Internal bleeding - he wasn't found until the next day, at least. Already dead." _That_ had been a shitty day at work, too.

Duo forced himself to continue.

"Anyway. The kid - no ID, no records, no one put out a missing person's report - no one claimed him. So, policy is, we send him to the funeral home that the city has a contract with, they cremate him, and he gets thrown in a mass grave near Baltimore."

Wufei looked a little green at _that_ information. Which, in Duo's mind, was only fair. _He_ got a little red-eyed himself, every time an unclaimed body was picked up by the funeral home that Duo was positive were overcharging for their services, and definitely not following the letter of the law regarding final placement of the ashes.

"That sounds awful," Wufei said.

"Yeah. It is. It's- it's fucked up," Duo said.

"And today was the day for him to get picked up?"

Duo snorted and scrubbed at his face.

"Yeah, it was. And I've been trying to get ahold of someone over at the courthouse for _days_ who would give me permission to get the body released to some other funeral home."

Wufei arched an eyebrow.

"You cared a lot for him."

"I- No. I didn't even know him. But I knew his name. Mohammad."

Wufei's eyebrows drew together. He was clearly trying to figure out the connection, but unable to.

"He was Muslim, or probably, at any rate. You don't cremate bodies in Islam, Wufei. You gotta bury them."

"Oh. I see."

Duo sighed and nodded again.

"I even found a mosque that was willing to take care of it - to pay the expenses and put him in their plot, and I had the whole fucking thing worked out but then my supervisor kept putting off signing the paperwork, and then _today_ I was on the phone all fucking day trying to get someone to sign the damn papers to release his body, and everyone kept bumping me off and telling me it wasn't going to happen."

"And?"

"And it didn't happen. They finally put me through to someone in the mayor's office because the OCME was dragging their heels - and they told me no."

Duo felt the echo of his anger and frustration wash over him, felt his gut start to churn, and it was so _stupid_. It was a problem he had found a solution to, and he had been told _no_ , just because the other way was easier, because it was what had always been done before.

"It sounds like you did everything you could."

Duo snorted.

"Yeah, and it got me fucking nowhere." He had scrawled his signature on the funeral home's paperwork when they came to get the kid, had nearly ripped through the paper with the force he used, and then walked out while they took him away.

"What do you need?" Wufei asked, drawing Duo out of the memory, out of the spiralling darkness.

Duo gave him a look.

"Shouldn't I be asking _you_ that?"

Wufei met his gaze, and arched an eyebrow back at him.

"Because you don't have any needs? I'm the only one who does?"

"This isn't- You said no relationships," Duo sighed. He was reminding Wufei, but more, he was reminding himself.

Because it had felt damn good to spill all of that, to let the venom seep from his body, to have Wufei sitting there, silent and attentive, listening to him. Duo didn't want to delude himself into thinking that Wufei cared, though, that Wufei wanted _more_ than just someone to give him what he needed and then walk away.

Every inch of Wufei's apartment just reinforced that.

Something flickered across Wufei's face, a fleeting emotion that looked something like regret, but was gone too quickly for Duo to decide.

Wufei nodded and sighed. He got up from the couch, and Duo started to assume that was _his_ cue to leave.

He started to rise, but Wufei held out a hand.

"Please stay."

Duo eased back onto the couch.

He probably _should_ leave. He couldn't see this going anywhere that was going to be good for _either_ of them.

But he really didn't want to. It was too damn nice to be around another person, living and breathing and _looking_ at him with the complicated emotions he could see in Wufei's eyes. It was too damn nice to be around _Wufei_. He didn't want to go back to his own apartment, empty and echoing and decidedly lacking Wufei.

Wufei crossed to one of the short bookshelves and pulled out a black hardback. He walked back to the couch and held it out to Duo.

"I want you to read to me."

Duo accepted the book with a raised eyebrow.

It was Berkowtiz's _Sex and Punishment_.

"You want me to read to you," he repeated, running his fingers along the spine and remembering how it had felt to hit Wufei's ass with the book.

The pink on Wufei's cheeks made it clear _he_ was remembering that too.

"Yes, sir. Please."

Duo shifted over across the couch.

"Take off your jacket," he told Wufei, and the other man immediately complied, removing it and laying it over the back of an armchair.

Duo gestured for Wufei to join him on the couch, and the other man did, leaning into the curve of Duo's body, letting Duo drape one arm over his shoulders.

It felt intimate. It felt nearly _domestic_.

Duo opened the book, flipping through to the introduction.

" _In 1956, in a village in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), a desperate woman sought help from a local tribunal made up of tribal elders in putting her marriage back on track."_

Duo stroked Wufei's hair as he read, the solid weight of Wufei's body against his - the steady rise and fall of Wufei's chest, the gentle thrum of his heartbeat - more comforting, more _grounding_ than Duo would have thought possible.

-o-

TBC

Yeah, there's gonna be more….


End file.
